Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw has issued a strongly worded statement in reaction to allegations made about her in a report on historical abuses in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States.
Pauw was named among several managers and coaches in a report by the NWSL that discovered widespread, ongoing misconduct.
The Republic of Ireland manager was named in a report published on Wednesday which alleges that while manager of Houston Dash from November 2017 to September 2018 Pauw shamed players for their weight and attempted to exert excessive control over their eating habits.
However, Pauw has hit back at that statement and has taken issue with claims that she did not engage with the investigation, insisting that the claims made in the report are 'an insult to her personal values'.
Pauw added that she 'refutes every allegation made against her', stemming from her time at Houston Dash, and claims that far from refusing to co-operate with the team compiling the report, it was the Investigation Team which ended a videocall she had agreed to join once she made it known that she wished to record that call.
The statement read: "Firstly, I would like to express my disappointment at the manner in which this investigation was conducted, the way I was treated when I tried to engage with the investigation and the lack of engagement around the publication of the report and statements to the media.
"The report suggests that I did not co-operate with the Investigation Team, which is untrue. I accepted an invitation to join a video call, on September 29th, on which there were four people and me. I asked to record the call but they said that this could not happen and they refused to answer any of my questions before they ended the call. I then wrote a 13-page letter to outline my experience of my time at Houston and offered to re-engage with them but they never responded.
"I want to refute every allegation made against me from my time at Houston Dash. Player welfare has always been of the utmost importance to me throughout my career. Nutrition is a hugely important aspect of professional football and my advice to players has always been to look after their nutritional needs and their health - and to always seek the advice of medical experts.
"To suggest I would body shame any human being, footballer or not, is an insult to my personal values and to my behaviour as coach and I cannot allow this claim to go unchallenged.
"I would like to thank all those who have spoken out in support of me since these allegations were made public on Wednesday evening. I appreciate the continued backing of the FAI as we look forward to the FIFA Women's World Cup next summer.
"I will continue to defend myself against all these claims. I have spent my entire career fighting for my players and now I must fight for myself. I am extremely frustrated that have been targeted in such a disappointing manner. I cannot allow my name to be attached to such false accusations."
